Evelina gives Mieurel an uncertain look. "You need to get far away from this place...an' meet some better friends. The people running this tower...They're bad. Like real bad...An' I don't want to ever hafta fight you again...But I ain't never gonna let people like this win..."
--
Evelina just shrugged as they discussed the items. She didn't really understand how most of it worked and figured if her friends thought she needed something, they'd let her know.
--
Evelina shrugs to Maddy and says, "Smash away." She considered offering to help, but the barbarian was smashing them with such efficiency and seemed to be receiving so much catharsis from it, she decided to just hang back and keep an eye on Nadya.
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Cithembi remains fairly quiet, the sight of the dead children still bothering him enough to repress his usual cheery self. He does quietly suggest he take a few of the scrolls, but asks for nothing more at first.
As Maddy started smashing the mirrors downstairs, Matt noticed some forms underneath sheets. They were lined up on the other side of the fountain. He realized they were the soldiers they had killed a few hours ago.
Looking down at himself, the wizard suddenly realized how much blood he was covered with. His robes were brown with it, and his hands sticky. Unable to bear it another moment, he ran to the fountain and began to furiously rub the blood from his hands and arms.
His hair swung down as he did so, and he noticed blood splattered in his white-blond hair as well. Nearly sobbing with desperation, he dipped his head, and scrubbed at his hair as well. Maggie flew to the fountain's edge and hopped as near to him as she dared, croaking in concern. Matt barely noticed her - for the moment, all the could think about was the blood on his hands, and the stain on his soul. And for nothing. They hadn't saved Thora, they hadn't save Maggie. It was all for nothing.
Finally, exhausted, he slid down against the edge of the fountain, dripping wet, buried his face in his hands, and wept.
Finally, exhausted, he slid down against the edge of the fountain, dripping wet, buried his face in his hands, and wept.
Not wanting to get in his business but still wanting to be there for comfort, the dwarf put his spear aside and just sat down next to the wizard.
He opened his mouth to say something hopeful but found himself at a loss of words.
He just sat there next to him.
Freyja picks up on Matt's emotion, but also knows Matt was a late comer to this mission and seems to be missing some of the successes. She tries to explain its not all in vain. she says with conviction. Much of the threat to the town we came from has been dealt with and people were saved. And if we can get this portal closed, well then we save the town and weakens the witches position. Her voice trails off as she adds But to that I am sure we are gonna need you. You understand this magic stuff so much better than I do, than any of us do really. And we need you. Please don't give up yet.
Before moving to take care of the mirrors, Maddy unceremoniously retrieves her throwing axe from Radosek's body. Her fists ball at her sides and she's very tempted to kick the body. It angers her that he looks so peaceful when he had helped cause so much turmoil in her life. Finally she decides that desecrating a corpse isn't worth it and decides to take her frustrations out on the mirrors. If they were useful to the witch then their destruction would cause her distress.
The first mirrors she comes to experience the full measure of her grief. Knowing that Maggie's body was lifeless and cold causes Maddy's anger to ignite and mirror after mirror shatters under the force of her blows. Halfway through her destruction, she realizes that there are tears streaming down her face as her vision blurs. Stopping only briefly she furiously wipes them away.
She starts to picture Radosek and then Nazhena - at least the ice sculpture version of Nazhena - in the mirrors. She kills them again and again as she continues to smash mirrors. They were the ones responsible for what happened to Maggie and they became the focus of Maddy's anger. 'The witch will pay, the witch will die' became her mantra. Maddy continues to bash each and every mirror until they are all broken in pieces before she sinks to the ground, completely exhausted and still bereft. She hugs her knees to her chest and lowers her head between her arms to block out the world. Then the tears start again and fall silently into her lap. She had failed her sister.
Cithembi looks helplessly at Matthew, unsure of how to comfort him. And so he just stands, silent, looking on with sorrowful eyes.
Evelina had felt so defeated by the day's events. She was upset with the moral compromises that had been made and upset with herself for not be stronger or smarter. However, seeing Madison break down put a quick end to her one woman pity party. What I'm feeling must be nothing compared to them. Maddie and Matt have lost there sister. Nadya's has lost her child... She mutters an expletive under her breath as she watches the mirror smash. However, as the destruction intensifies, she begins growing concerned. "Oh...Maddie...Be careful...You're gonna slice somethin' open..." she injects ineffectively in between crashing noises. Finally when the barbarian falls to the floor, she rushed over to hug her. "Oh Maddie..." She says, not really sure what to say, she still tries to make it better. "She's still with us...and we have the body...We always knew it was gonna be hard to get her back together...but she's still here. She's still her...An' we have the body now...Oh Maddie..."
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Matt scrubbed tears from his eyes, and finally looked up at his companions. His breath hitching, he said, "I'm not giving up. The witches have to pay for what they've done. But what about me? When will I have to pay? I have blood on my hands. You guys tried to stop me, but I wouldn't listen. Those guards didn't have to die. How much will my revenge cost me?"
Another moment, and he pulled himself together. Accepting Martok's hand up, he shakily stood. Realizing that Maggie had left, he followed the sound of her squawks to find Maddy and Evelina together. It looked that his twin was in much the same state of mind as he was.
Mindful of the glass, he kneeled down in front of her. Taking her hands, he waited for her to look up. "It's not too late," he said. "I can still fix this. Somehow. We can do it. We'll stay strong, and we'll do it together. For Maggie."
Maddy's body stays rigid as Evelina tries to comfort her. She's not used to having to be consoled. She was usually the strong one, the one that protected those she loved...but she had failed and because of that, Maddy feels as broken as the mirrors.
When she feels her brother's touch, she finally looks up. The tears had turned the whites of her eyes pink which made the ice blue of her irises even more striking. "I failed, Matty, and because of that Maggie suffered. If I'd only been able to stop them from taking her none of this would have happened." She wipes her nose on her sleeve. "But you're right, this needs to be fixed and we'll do this together. You figure out the magicky stuff..." her eyes harden, "and I'll make sure the witch dies."
She carefully gets to her feet and holds out her hand for Evelina. She pulls the petite woman to her feet and gently squeezes her hand. She shifts on her feet awkwardly before bluring, "Thank you, for your words. I appreciate you trying to make me feel better. Just 'cause I didn't answer didn't mean I wasn't listening."
Yeah...sure no problem..." Evelina replies somewhat sheepishly to Maddie, "Y'know. I think you might be blaming yourself a bit too much. I mean, I wasn't there or nothing, but I don't think any amount of training is every gonna make you strong enough to stop every bad person that want to do a bad thing...I mean how were any of us gonna be prepared for some crazy evil ice queen throwing a tantrum at her storybook witch mom? Now we know...and we can put an end to it. Make her answer for it. But how the hell is any of it s'posed to be your fault?"
Maddy looks down at her feet. "I should have fought harder and distracted them enough for Maggie to get away. The fact that I'm still alive and Maggie is dead obviously means I didn't fight hard enough which makes it my fault." Her fists ball in frustration, "The problem is that I can't even remember what happened. I blacked out." Her voice sounds disgusted, "I probably fainted."
She pulls out the weird dagger that she carries around as a reminder. "This is the only proof I had 'til now that anything bad had happened that day." She shrugs, "That and a velvet bag of small animal bones but it's not like I'd continue carrying that around."
With witches involved I doubt if you blacked out. They have evil hexes at their disposal. Are we ready for this next phase. We have to try to shut down the gate. After that we will just have to see.
Evelina lets out a sigh and looks at Maddie sadly. I don't think anything I say is gonna change her mind or make her feel better. Nah. It's worse than that. It probably just hurts her more every time we bring it up. Instead of pressing the issue further, Evelina just gives Maddy's arm a reassuring squeeze. "C'mon. Looks like these mirrors are good and smashed. We should prob'ly keeps an' eye on these magic types while they figure out this portal stuff, right?" Teasingly she looks to the others and says, "What've y'all been doin' all this time anyway?" She claps her hands twice. "C'mon. Let's get crackin' here. We got work to do!"
I...don't know where I'll be going... Mierul admits in answer to Cithembi and Martok's questioning. If Radosek truly is... Well, if he's gone, as you say... I assume you've taken care of the others, Hestrig and Mig and them. I heard the fighting, faintly, and they aren't the types to give quarter or surrender. Any of the guard contingent still left is likely to take to the hills - staying means punishment, but I doubt Nazhena would bother to know them well enough to track them down if they run, and they know that. With that, Nazhena might not know I made it here; she was already gone when I arrived, and it seems no one's left to tell her, so I may be off the hook.
And that's how I intend to stay - believe me, I have no intention of trying to stop you. I can put two and two together how that would turn out, and you've given me a chance to escape this mess with no blame laid on me. I'm not so much a fool as to turn that down. She looks at Evelina with a hint of regret. I am not so courageous as you, nor so spoiled for choice as to turn down allies where I can find them. Setting aside the White Witches' patronage would do more harm than good, but I swear I will not reveal anything of you. And for that reason, I will not ask where you intend to go or what you intend to do from here. I cannot tell what I do not know. Fare you well...wherever your road takes you.
----------
With as much precaution as possible taken to prevent magical scrying or intrusion, everyone regroups at the transporter and travels once again to the ritual chamber. The globe image shimmers as it floats above the thaumaturgic circle inscribed into the chamber's floor, Golarion's landmass contours shining a cold white against the dark, scintillating oceans and seas. A web of pale blue lines, so bright they hurt the eyes, dance across the globe's surface, creating an interconnected web.
And perhaps they weren't wrong, because one of the lines passes between two places of some newfound significance in your life - eastern Irrisen and southern Taldor. While the map is too large in scale to be certain, it looks as if the ley line passes directly through both Nadya's hometown of Waldsby and the town of Heldren, where the winter portal drew you in. You begin to suspect that if you drew a line between the Tower, Waldsby, the Irrisen and Taldor sides of the portal, and Heldren, they would line up like beads on a necklace...
Evelina squints at the map, but can't quite place what the strange lines mean. "Is it jus' me or do these patterns look awful familiar...like from a story book or something..." She muses out loud. Quickly growing board she shrugs and walks away to look at something else.
Evelina squints at the map, but can't quite place what the strange lines mean. "Is it jus' me or do these patterns look awful familiar...like from a story book or something..." She muses out loud. Quickly growing board she shrugs and walks away to look at something else.
Martok liked maps. He did. But he could not make heads or tails of this one. He concentrated and walked around the globe to see from different angles but nothing came to his simple mind, "Darn pretty, eh?"
Cithembi stares at the lights for a while, then a slow grin creeps across his face. "Ah, but you see, my friends," he says, pointing at certain of the lights, "That is here, and that is Heldren, you see? They are in a line, as in the stories of the lines of power beneath the land, yes?"
He looks at Matthew and Martok expectantly, hoping one of them will catch on to his explanation.
Freyja understands Mierul's decision but is still saddened by it. It would have been a fine thing to travel with you for a while my sister, and trade songs and stories each night in camp. Perhaps, after this ordeal is over, if we both still live, we might yet have that chance. Good bye and try to stay safe.
Only with Cithembi's help does Freyja understand the map's significance. Looking to Matt she asks This looks complicated. What do we do next?
Faced with a puzzle, Matt put aside his feelings and applied himself to the problem at hand. The wizard stared at the globe for some time, puzzling over the lines. He would have been scratching his head a good long while if Cithembi hadn't come up with the explanation.
"Yes! I see it now. Ley lines, they're called. I studied them in Magical theory. Not visible, not provable. But this certainly does seem to imply that the witches are using them somehow...."
The more Matt puzzled over the globe and they ley lines, the more sense it started to make. Finally, he sat back on his heels and pushed hair out of his face. "Well, I have good and bad news. The good news is, I think I know how to close the portal. It's the ley line that's powering it, this one here," he pointed to the glittering line that connected the tower to home. "If I cast the right kind of spell here, at the source, it should interrupt the line long enough for the portal to close."
He waited a moment, staring at the tiny dot that was home. It was very far away. "The bad news is, that once it's closed, that's it. We're walking home."
Freyja does not look surprised at the revelation. I never planned go home, at least not for a long time. She explains. I made a commitment to fight the witches and the witches are here. Besides the home of my mother is closer to here than the other side of that gate. And with that she laughs out loud, finding the irony quite funny. Finally shes asks What is the right kind of spell? Are you prepared now to do this thing? I see no reason to wait.
Maddy looks at the map with everyone else but it might as well of been upside down for all the sense it made to her. She trusts that her brother will be able to figure it out so instead she makes her way into Nazhena's bedroom and begins to break or rip anything she can find. The mirrors may have been cathartic for her but this was more personal. Maddy wants the witch to come back to her home with everything she enjoyed destroyed. The witch had taken something dear from Maddy and this was the best way she could think of to get even, apart from killing her partner of course. By the time Maddy was done there wasn't a garment left that wasn't ripped or cut nor was there anything left that was breakable.
"Eh..." Evelina says with a shrug. "I always wanted to travel and there ain't no one in the world to notice me missing for a while. We promised the folk in Heldren that we'd figure this out and keep 'em safe. So, I say shut it down."
There wasn't much for Martok to go back to. His new herd was here and he was still a shepherd.
"Do what you have to do to close this portal? It will save lives."
He looked at the others, "We'll seek out these witches and then find our way back home, right?"
Cithembi chuckles slightly. "My home is wherever the stars shine, friends. And we still have work to do here, yes?"
Matt smiled slowly at his companions. "Yes. We have work to do here."
Standing, he shook the knots from his muscles and rolled his shoulders. "To answer your question, no, I cannot cast the right kind of spell right now. I have almost exhausted my prepared spells, and my reserves. I would need to rest, and try tomorrow morning. However," he looked at Freyja, "I believe that Bards are sometimes able to use devices of a magical nature. I cannot attempt such a thing, but if you are willing to, we might be able to shut it down tonight."
Freyja responds Well, I can actually cast a conjuration spell multiple times so sometimes its good to be a spontaneous caster. Freuja tries to cast Grease into the ritual circle but can't quite get it right the first time so she tries again and gets it the second time.
Freyja kneels and places a hand on the ritual circle, and the inscribed lines glisten for a moment with a viscous slime before being drawn down as if into a sponge. The songstress continues her invocation, trying to press the conjuration energy down into the river of energy below...but at the last syllables of the incantation a loud rrr-ip! echoes from the other room as Maddie sets about her vindictive task. The sound surprises Freyja, and as she jumps slightly her foot slips out from underneath her; with a dark blue flash the energy of the spell lurches back outward, covering Freyja and the circle both with the goopy remnants of the spell, turned black by the backlash of energy.
And unfortunately, it does not disappear after a few minutes like the spell normally would - the thick, tarry substance is here to stay. Even worse, Matthew knows from experience that magic circles cannot be used when broken or interrupted by foreign objects or substances...to get another try, the floor has to be scrubbed clean. The effort takes the better part of an hour, but finally (with the aid of some of Nazhena's destroyed clothes) the circle is once again spotless and ready to go. Freyja once again kneels (with some trepidation) and places her hand on the circle, casting the grease spell into it once again...
This time, though, her focus stays keen. The ley line between Irrisen and Taldor on the map begins to crackle with sparks of energy, showering Freyja in motes of light, and energy ripples around the circle in undulating circles. Soon, the light fades, and Freyja feels the jarring juxtaposition of hot and cold that had suffused her arm begin to fade as well. Even without looking to the distant hill, she knows that this task is done...the portal between Irrisen and Taldor is closed. Heldren is once again safe from the onslaught of winter's wrath.
But the web of lines on the globe remains, and the ramifications of that are disheartening even in the face of this victory. Any line on the map could fuel the same magic...any point on the web could erupt into a portal with a powerful enough incantation, and the network covers the globe. The only way, then, is to stop Queen Elvanna and her Winter Witches before their full plan can come to fruition...and the only one with enough dominion over Elvanna to thwart her is her mother. The Witch Queen - Baba Yaga.
Evelina watches Freyja perform the ritual anxiously, distrustful of this kind of magic ever since Blaze's story. When the spell backfires at first, covering Freyja. Evelina's eyes widen as she rushes over to the bard. "Freyja! "
Seeing the bard still in one piece, she assists in cleaning like she is told to. However, she looks even more nervous as the ritual begin again. Unable to watch, she grabs a hold of Cithembi's arm and looks away. Once the ritual finally completes, she lets out a deep sigh. Realizing she has the stargazer trapped in a death grip, she releases his arm and mutters an apology. To the others, she says, "So um...we should get, like...far, far away from here. Like fast, right? Then figger out what the hell we are gonna do about crazy ice queen..."
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"It is all right," Cithembi tells Evelina with a smile.
He turns to the group and says, "Did not the Rider have something to say about our next steps? Something about a hut, yes?"
Collapsing to the floor with the effort of the concentration and pressure Freyja mummers It is done. That was harder than I thought it would be. Thank you for the guidance Matt, but next time I would prefer to leave the heavy arcane work to you.
She looks around at her companions and realizes she has no idea of what to do next. is there anything we can do for the townsfolk here? I worry about the backlash to them for our actions.
Matt helped Freyja up and over to a chair, though the cushion had been slashed by his twin. "You did wonderfully well. I couldn't have done better. Rest a moment, I know how exhausting this work can be."
He spent another long moment studying the globe. Finally he shook his head. "It is true, we must move on. If Nazhena is indeed just the apprentice, or acolyte, or whatever you call it for a witch, then Elvanna's power will be that much the greater. If we do not help her mother return, there will be little we can do to stop her."
He returned to the room that held the bodies of the girls. Nadya was at her daughter's side. Standing silently beside her for a moment, he then said, "I am terribly sorry for what happened to your daughter. I wonder if she knew Maggie at all in life. Perhaps they were able to comfort each other somewhat." It was unclear from his tone of voice whether he was trying to comfort Nadya, or himself.
Pointing to the amulet around her neck, Matt said, "This will keep her body like this, for as long as she wears it. Perhaps one of the clerics in town, or in a larger city, will be able to coax her soul back from where is currently resides, if you wish that. I hope that your village will be spared reprisal for this - after all, there is nothing linking you to this. If you bring the supplies back, you can always say that the tower was deserted when you arrived with them, should you be questions. However, I doubt Nazhena will come knocking on any doors. Maddy made sure she'll be looking for us."
Finally he called Maddy in, so that she could take their sister's body with them. He still hoped that he could figure out a way to undo what had been done. But it would take time, and study, and no small deal of luck.
Matty's voice reaches Maddy's ears as she's in the middle of pulling apart one of the pillows which releases feathers everywhere. She sighs and leaves her wanton destruction only to come up short when she realizes what room she's entering. It's the first time she's seen Maggie's body. Feeling hollow, she slowly approaches the small form. She stares at the body and then reaches out to brush a lock of hair off her sister's forehead. "I promise you Maggie that you will be avenged. The witch will die for what she did to you. But now, we need to take you with us while Matty figures out how to undo this."
Maddy looks over at Nadya. "Thora will be avenged too. Nothing I say will bring you comfort but I wanted you to know that. What I do to the witch will be just as much for your daughter as my sister."
Tired and spent, the dwarf also tried comforting Nadya.
He nodded to Mathew's proposal and asked Nadya, "Is there anything that you would like us to do in town? Will you get into more or less trouble if your association to us is know?"
Matt realized they didn't know which way to go. To Nadya, he asked, "Which direction is Whitethrone? Do we go back through Waldesby?"
I...don't know how much there is to be done about backlash, Nadya answers resignedly. Besides simply hoping that Nazhena retains enough sense to stay her hand. She'll interrogate several people, to be sure, but she knows no one in Waldsby has the power to have done something like this. Furtively she glances at the ritual circle. It won't take long for her to find out there were strangers here, if she hasn't found out already. Her focus will go straight to that news...to you. And to me. It won't take much longer for her to find out I'm the one who brought you to Waldsby, and with that sin I doubt she'll care for any story I might claim of an already-ruined tower.
Fighting back more tears, she continues. I can't a-afford to raise Thora back to life...I could sell all I own and not even begin to touch that cost. If her spirit is a-at peace...we'll let it stay there. Tenderly, she lays a hand on Thora's forehead, as if laying the girl to sleep. I have my two other babies to think of now, too. Waldsby won't be safe for us anymore - we stay, and... The dam of emotions breaks, and for several moments she weeps openly, burying her face in the fur of her collar.
This witch will not make orphans of my boys. We'll reload the sledge, as you say, with the girls' bodies hidden. Drive back to Waldsby, arrive as night grows dark. And we'll get the boys, maybe even Kashka if she'll agree to come, grab anything else we can carry and be gone by first light. These supplies will be more than enough to get us to Whitethrone - and oddly enough, I feel no guilt about keeping what I've bought. Rising to her feet, she scoops up her daughter's small form and hugs it close. Along the way...we'll see to putting Thora's body to rest with her spirit.
Whitethrone's almost half a fortnight's journey, but it's one I've made before - I'll guide the way. My husband had an uncle who was living in the Fishcamps, the shantytowns outside Whitethrone, working as a smuggler. He's your best shot at getting into the city without trouble, I'd reckon, and I'll try with his help to get me and the boys set up with a place in the Fishcamps. It won't be lavish, but it'll be a new start, and a safe place. She exhales sharply in a half-laugh, half-sigh. I never thought Whitethrone's fringes would be the safe place to go...
Evelina looks at Nadya with sad eyes. "Of course. We'll get your boys an' get you all to Whitethrone. It's the least we can do..." Not sure what else to say to comfort the grieving woman, Evelina instead focuses on making sure her own bags are in order, then gives the others a nod to indicate she is ready.
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Evelina looks at Nadya with sad eyes. "Of course. We'll get your boys an' get you all to Whitethrone. It's the least we can do..." Not sure what else to say to comfort the grieving woman, Evelina instead focuses on making sure her own bags are in order, then gives the others a nod to indicate she is ready.
Martok added, "And we'll make sure you are well taken care of. WE have found many things here that we can sell I have no need for money and you have two boys to raise in a strange town. I'll make you have plenty to get started and some."
----------
Freyja, afraid to even speak else she start to cry at Nadya's words, only nods fiercely in agreement with the plan. She then busies herself with the tasks that need doing to prepare them to leave.
Cithembi nods solemnly. "We shall help one another, and together see to it that others shall not meet the same fate, yes?"
Matt nodded, pleased to have Nadya coming along as guide. Now that the portal was closed, he was having decided mixed feelings about being so far from home. "Agreed. Let us not linger here. Martok, can you burn the witch's body? We don't want his mistress able to bring him back. Let us collect every weapon we can find and carry - no need to leave her armed to equip new guards."
As the sun begins to creep downward toward its mountainous bed, the party works feverishly, gathering up and storing whatever they can and ruining whatever they can't. Nadya even pulls out a second sled from near one of the kennels, pulling a heap of tanned furs onto it, and to her surprise finds a mess of coins and gems stashed beneath the furs. The ritual chamber contains enough ingredients, tools, and supplies to furnish a well-stocked alchemist's lab, and several completed alchemical items are arranged on the shelves.
The kitchen is stocked with enough foodstuffs and drink to supply a small army (since that's precisely what it was intended for); some is too unwieldy to be carried easily, but Nadya packs everything she can onto the stolen sled. A weapons locker in the soldiers' barracks reveals a supply of spare weapons, mostly swords and axes - the weapons are clearly well-used, but also well-maintained and sharp.
Ritual chamber alchemical supplies: Two flasks of acid, three flasks of alchemist’s fire, two pinches of flash powder, three flasks of liquid ice, three smokesticks (each a different color), a sunrod, two tanglefoot bags, three thunderstones, 15 tindertwigs in a silver canister (worth 50 gp), and three applications of cold iron weapon blanch.
Kennels: 500 gp (Bordegga's accrued payment), fifteen bear and wolf furs.
Kitchen: One keg (10 gallons) of applejack, a case of bottles of common wine, one hundred pounds of flour, thirty pounds of sugar, seventy-six pounds of cured meats, seven large wheels of cheese, twenty pounds of dried vegetables, five pounds of salt, various spices...and the spriggan's waffle iron, which turns out to be mithril!
Weapon locker: five throwing axes, three daggers, four short swords, two spears, two spiked steel shields, one shortbow, three quivers of cold iron arrows.
The fact that the portal is closed is a relief for Maddy. The fact that it cut off their quick return south barely registered with her. She was with Matty and Maggie which made this home where they currently were. She had nothing to go back to and she doubts that her parents have even noticed that she's gone. Knowing the importance of family she assures Nadya, "I will make sure you and your family get to Whitethrone. I owe you much. Without your help, I would never have found Maggie."
Maddy helps the others load the heavier items on to the sleds, happy to have something to keep her busy. But what she really enjoys is wrecking or marring whatever they decide to leave behind. She doesn't think about the implications of what her actions may do in terms of angering the witch. All she focuses on making sure the witch has nothing but the clothes on her back when she returns. Her reasoning was simply that the witch wouldn't be as dangerous without her things because Maddy knew she wouldn't be threatening without her sword.
When she gets to the weapons locker, she carefully inspects the throwing axes. They may be more well-used than hers but they were still usable and the fight with Radosek had shown her that she needed to carry more than just one. She affixes another axe to herself so that she has two within easy reach and then adds the others to her stuff.
"Um...I don't s'pose I could have one of those? Evelina asks Maddie, pointing to the throwing axes. "Came pretty darn close to runnin' out of stuff to chuck when fighting that flying jerk...Only got lucky that my one knife got stuck in the window and didn' fall out..."
Once the place was thoroughly stripped, Evelina urged the others, "Alright, c'mon. We gotta go!"
Martok also busied himself to try and forget the pain of the broken families he failed to fix. But instead of destroying, he busied himself with helping out Nadya packing her two sleds. "Is there another sled? I've never driven one before but I'm pretty good with animals."
He looked at the weapon but did not claim any; unleashing Lord Fire seemed potent enough and he welcomed a more gentler spirit, one dedicated to life and healing.
He nodded towards Evelina, "Agreed, let's leave this place of evil."
Maddy is in the process of securing the extra axes to her gear when Evelina poses her question. She looks up and nods without hesitation. She hands one over and asks, "Are you sure you just want one? You could have two if you want."
Evelina shrugs at Maddie, "I'd like twenty...but I'm also pretty short an' not all that strong if I'm bein' honest with myself...So, not alotta space to put 'em. One'll do." Giving Maddie a grin as she hooks the axe at her waist, she adds, "Thanks"
Nadya nods appreciatively to Martok. I'd appreciate a hand with the second sled. We'll have to divide my dogs up between the two - I don't see any other hounds in here. Not live ones at least...I've got a suspicion that troll made more than a few snacks of them, judging by the bones I saw. She shudders slightly and roughly scratches the dog she's re-harnessing around the scruff of the neck.
They won't run quite as fast as if they were pulling together, but Waldsby will be glad to have the supplies, I think. I'll leave the sled we don't take next to the south road outside of town - someone's bound to spot it, and by the south road they won't suspect it's from the Tower. You six will be slowed some by the snow anyway, and hopefully we won't have anyone following us for a while. With some luck, we'll have a snowstorm blow through tonight - and my snowshoes have an enchantment that'll clear away our footprints for a bowshot's length. It's not much, but if I use it right it should at least slow them down.
With the supplies loaded, Nadya grabs her short whip and hands it to Martok. Here - you may need it a bit more than me. Essie, Ulv, get on! At the command, the dogs lurch forward, straining slightly against the weight of the sleds, and Nadya gives her sled a heave forward to help overcome its weight, motioning to Martok to do the same. Once the weight is moving, the dogs pull it with little struggle, and the group departs the Tower's courtyard. Lead them to the south of the road for a way - we'll lay a false trail, then head for the road and clear the prints behind us. It won't fool them forever, but it'll buy us some time.
Fortune favors the fleeing, and while the party glimpses a large, white-furred cat in a tree, it seems content to let the sleds pass. The road is difficult to follow in the fading light, but the dogs' keen eyes, aided by Cithembi's keen vision, suffice to keep the group on track through the twilight. As night proper falls, everyone begins to depend on Martok's dwarven eyesight, honed by generations of cave-dwelling to work perfectly well in darkness - and surprisingly, Freyja seems to have little difficulty as well. With them working together to see ahead, everyone can rely on a single candle kept close to the sleds to keep their footing.
By the time the sleds pull up to Nadya's home at the east edge of Waldsby, stars twinkle in the clear sky, and the town rests peacefully. With the candle now extinguished, the last half-mile of the trip is dark and silent, and no alarm is raised at the approach. Come inside - sleep while you can, Nadya urges. We'll leave in the early morning, before anyone has a chance to notice we've come back. I'm going to go drop off the Tower's sled south of town now. When I get back, I'll do what I can to clear a space on the sled so we can take it in turns to rest more on the journey.